


The Soul Stealer

by Frodo214



Series: Jonathan Slade and the Gods of Olympus [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-22
Updated: 2015-12-22
Packaged: 2018-05-08 12:14:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 10,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5496713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frodo214/pseuds/Frodo214
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jonathan Slade ran away from home after his mother died, to find himself on deaths door in the snow of the New York wilderness. He didn't know that as he approached a torch in the distance, he would soon find a new place to call home.<br/>(I do not own the Percy Jackson franchise or am related to any relating franchise of the sort. I am simply a fan who decided to create my own rendition of the story into the future.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Journey

            It was a cold winter’s night. It had been weeks since I had last seen any glimpse of civilization. My body weak from hyperthermia and fatigue, I could feel that I was inches away from death. Is this how it would end? I was seventeen and I was going to die alone in the wilderness. But for some reason I had the urge to move forward. I ran away for a reason and it was not to die. My name is Johnathan Slade, and it was on deaths door that I discovered who I really was.

            Every breath was labored, every step full of pain, and the wind was like daggers piercing into my skin. I was on the verge of collapsing, until I saw it away in the distance. A small light blazing through the snow, a torch? Almost crawling I made my way towards it. As I approached the light a man appeared from the shadows. “What brings you here?” he asked. I looked at him expectantly.

“I have been wondering these woods, for what it seems like a lifetime. I’m only searching for somewhere to wait out the cold”

“It appears you have come to right place,” He removed the cloak from his head revealing a face that seemed timeless. He had jet black hair and dark eyes. His build was scrawny yet powerful. Something made me feel drawn to him. “This torch is a beacon. It only appears to those who are searching for a place to call home, and also to those who wish to find others like them.”

“What do you mean others like me?”

“You are special Jonathan.” him saying my name sent a shiver down my spine because I had never formally introduced myself to him. “In ways you cannot imagine.” My world spun and I collapsed by the torch, I was dying. I could feel the warmth of the fire spreading over me. I was barely conscious when a group of kids arrived and grabbed me by my shoulders and carried me towards a gigantic building that I had not noticed before.

            I slowly gained consciousness in waves. Slowly having times where I could be fully aware of everything that happened, and other times where I was in a dream faze. Most of the time I was vaguely aware of them feeding me and allowing liquid to trickle into my mouth. The food puzzled me. It was almost like pudding but the flavor was something different. It always tasted like chicken noodle soup. What my mom always fed me before she passed away leaving me with my stepfather. The liquid tasted like plain black coffee, which I had grown accustomed to after I ran away from him. How did these people know my personal comfort food?

            I wasn’t sure of anything when I was conscious. I didn’t know what day it was, I didn’t know the time, the only thing I knew was that I was finally safe. Although when I woke up, there was a girl in the room. She had a mix of black and brown in her hair, tan complexion, but a noticeable tan line along her shoulders.  The biggest thing I noticed was that she was twirling a dagger between her fingers with extreme skill and precision. I got up on my elbows and looked straight at her. “Where am I?” I asked.

She glanced up at me and stood. “Well the zombie lives. As to where you are, you’re at a camp.”

“How long was I out?”

“Its been almost a week. We found you outside of the border of the camp, but it proves that you are one of us.”

“One of you?”

She helped me up and we walked outside of the building to where I saw kids running around the camp. Some held swords, others were shooting bows, and others were canoeing on the lake. “We are children of Olympians.”

“You’re talking about Greek god’s right? Every kid here is a child of an Olympian?”

“Partially. We have one godly parent, and one mortal parent. The thing we find so odd is that you have not been here before. About fifty years ago there was a demigod named Percy Jackson who made a pact with the gods that they had to claim their children by the age of thirteen.”

I looked down. “My mother died the day before my thirteenth birthday. I ran away shortly after.  So my father is an Olympian god? Why didn’t he at least show me some sign that he was here?”

She shifted on her feet, “The gods aren’t supposed to have any direct contact with their children, but sometimes we get signs.”

I shook my head. “I’m sorry I think I forgot to ask your name. Mine is Jonathan Slade.”

She straightened all dignified. “I’m Allison Conjure, daughter of Ares.”


	2. The Pre-descendants

Allison led me to the dining hall after the….conch? had rang. She went onto her own table with a bunch of children that looked similar to her. I had to sit at the head table where all of the directors of the camp sat. I saw a man there with a beautiful woman next to him, and a man in a wheelchair. “Greetings, Jonathan. I hope that your accommodations were up to par.”

I nodded and a plate of food magically appeared in front of me, and everyone else. Everyone rose up and walked towards a bronze offering table that was lit ablaze. They were scrapping off parts of their meals and mumbling a prayer under their breath. The man in the wheelchair who later introduced himself as Chiron nodded at me. I got up to join them and scrapped off a generous portion of my plate and closed my eyes, “Father, whoever you are, show me your guidance.” Immediately I smelt a strange sour fragrance. Pomegranates. I turned back and headed to the table and ate my meal. Just as Chiron was prepared to dismiss everyone to the camp fire, all of the flames turned purple and the man in the cloak appeared. Everyone was cowering in their seats but I launched to my feet. I could sense he was radiating fear but it didn’t affect me. “You?!” I asked. “You were outside of the camp when I arrived.” He gave me a sideways smile. One that I had seen numerous times before… in my own reflection.

“Yes, indeed you did. It has been many years since I have had a new offspring. I do hope that you won’t disappoint me.” He then turned to Chiron. “Train him, he is the one you all have been searching for.” With that he disappeared in a flash of purple flame leaving two swords, made of Stygion Iron, with skulls imbedded into the hilt. I grabbed them and felt their weight. Perfectly balanced with grips form perfectly to my hands.  I turned to Chiron myself. “That was my father?! Who was he?”

            Chiron rose from his wheelchair, revealing his centaur body, which he knelt down on his fore legs. “He is one of the most powerful gods on the Olympian council. All hail, Jonathan Slade, son of Hades.” I sat at the camp fire watching the coals burn out after everyone had left. I had been claimed. And everyone looked at me as a reject. My father was one of the Olympians that had just been accepted half a century ago. I stood as the smoke curled from the final coal burning out. I made my way to my cabin, my swords strapped in an “X” formation on my back. Not very Greek but for some reason it was comfortable. As I approached my door I sensed something was wrong. I drew them and turned with my back against the door. Three figured stood in the shadows. I had no idea who or what they wore. The ground around my feet had a low rumble and skeletal hands started erupting clawing out. I jumped back at first, but then I stood among them, sensing that not only were they drawn to me, but I was drawn to them. From the figures I saw the glint of metal, almost a coppery hue to it. They made their way towards me and I saw that two of the figures were male and one was female. The female’s hand glowed at her fingers tips, as a light source. One of the boys was dressed in full black, a sword like the ones I had strapped to his side, a skull ring on his finger and hair and eyes as black as the darkness that surrounded us.

            The other too had jet black hair, but his eyes were as green as the sea, and the he carried was shaped like a leaf, made purely out of celestial bronze. The girl had brown hair, with eyes that were almost an electric blue, with a bracelet on that seemed out of place with her silvery outfit. She also wore a silvery broach in her hair. They stood in front of me as if they were waiting for something. “Well Nico,” The other man said, “What do you think of your new little brother?”

He looked over with me with his eyes. “I’m not sure, Thalia, you’re the only one of us that’s been immortal. What do you know of him?” It just occurred to me that among the two men, I hadn’t realized that the girl was a teenager, my age.

She rolled her eyes. “As you both know, there haven’t been any other children of the elder gods. Ergo our parents. He’s the first one from your lineage in what? The last century?” Nico nodded. “Well Percy, I guess we should put him through one last test.”

“Wait a minute,” I interrupted. “Why are people here? What are you doing?” By this time, there were two skeletons standing by my side. Percy smirked. “We are seeing if we finally have someone that can take our place.” He whistled and a large shadow was cast over all of us. A large hound emerged from the shadow. The hound licked Percy and Nico and then growled at me. For some reason it amused me. I stepped forward and the dog bared its teeth in challenge. I dropped my weapons. I crouched down, and felt a wave of adrenaline rush over me. My body changed, and morphed into a hell hound. All three of them backed up and the hound seemed surprised. I bared my own set of teeth and the dog put its head down into submission. I changed back into my body. Nico stepped forward smiling. “This is new, apparently you’ve inherited a number of dad’s gifts.”

            I stared at him. “I transformed because of him?”

“Other than being a trait that was passed down from Poseidon, all gods have been able to morph their shape. You being the son of Hades, who wears a cloak with all of the souls of the corrupted inside of it, already have control of the dead. Meaning you can summon and control them. But this transformation, it may have been a surprise. The only one who has had this ability was a child of Mars. But there’s really no way to get him here to check this out unless he borrows his wife’s horse. Although, it may be from the dark energy he can muster. I mean, you did transform into a hellhound. This one being your new pet, whose name is Ms. O’ Leary, by the way, but it was still a creature from the underworld. Anyway, part of the energy must be a part of you, allowing you to morph into whatever shape you wish to take.”

            I raised my hand, and saw a weird ball of dark energy miraculously swirled right above my fingers. “So what now?”

Percy smiled. “Now, it’s time for you to discover your destiny.” They all disappeared in a different way. A silvery light appeared around Thalia, instantly vanishing her into thin air. Percy jumped into the air and a black pegasus swooped below him, flying off them both away. Nico looked me, nodded, and dissolved into the shadows leaving a silver skull ring in his place. I grabbed it, slipped it on, and walked inside my cabin. The entire cabin was made out of a purplish black stone, obsidian?, and the room was lit in a purplish hue. I flopped down on the bed and fell asleep before I realized it. I woke up the sound of a horn.


	3. The Son

If I remembered correctly that was a warning that breakfast would be soon. I sat a groggily and got dressed in one of the sets of clothes from my pack. A pair of boot cut blue jeans, a black T, and my leather jacket. I went to grab my weapons to notice that they were missing. I noticed that in their place I found two rings, both with a black gem inside of them. I slipped them on, and imagined my swords. The rings instantly turned into my swords. I spun them around and imagined them as rings again. They instantly shrunk back. “Sweet.” I said. I slipped on the skull ring Nico had left, remembering that if I ever saw him again he was going to teach me that shadow travel thing he did. I straightened what little bit of the cabin I had and walked outside, making my way towards the mess hall. I saw all of the cabins lining up and walking towards the mess hall. I saw Allison at the front of the Ares line giving out orders to her siblings. I saw that the only cabins that no one was exiting was the Poseidon, Zeus, and Hera cabin. I was the only child to be born of the big three in many years.

I got to the mess hall and everyone was staring at me. I was halfway through my meal when someone sat at my table. He looked like a teenager, he had a scruffy goatee, and he was shirtless revealing a mess of hair. He had curly hair with something protruding from the top of his hair. I looked down and saw he had furry legs and goat hooves. “So you’re a satyr?” He nodded. “Carter Underwood at your service.”

“What are you doing here? I know I just arrived but, everyone seems to be avoiding me.”

He folded up his up, food and all, and took a bite. He said still chewing, “Its because you’re a son of Hades. They will get over it. My father was always around children of the big three so they assigned me to you hoping that I take after him.”

“I see. And me being able to summon the dead doesn’t scare you.”

“Terrifies me. But, if you’re anything like your brother there will be nothing to worry about.”

I stared out at the woods. “What is today? I’ve kinda been out of commission for a while.”

“It’s Friday. Tonight is Capture the Flag.”

“Sounds like fun. Are you going to play?”

He stood and brushed himself off. “A chance to see my new charge in action. Might as well participate.”

The day went on as a blur. I vaguely remember eating lunch and dinner, they found I had skills in archery, craftsmanship, and sword fighting. Carter and I got to know each other and start becoming friends instead of him being like my own personal parole officer. We spent an hour climbing the rock wall at all the different settings that it had. But when it finally came to sundown, everyone ran to the clearing at the edge of the forest where Chiron was dividing the cabins into teams. I was on the team, with Ares, Hecate, Athena, Hephaestus, and Aphrodite. As Carter helped me fit into my armor, a lot of the Aphrodite girls came over. Allison was giving them disgusted looks until I ignored them and the eventually went away, which is when I small smirk came to her face. Chiron banged his hoof against the ground to get everyone’s attention. “Tonight we have a little treat for everyone. In the forest there are two animals, of surprise origin. Each one of them contains the other team’s flag. Team blue is on the east, team red is on the west. Begin!”


	4. The Note

The conch horn sounded and the teams took off into the woods. I was on the red team, which immediately took off looking for tracks or rubbings to find a trace of the creature. Carter smelled the air and grabbed me. We ran, following his nose, and some of the Ares campers, including Allison took notice and started following us. After ten minutes we opened up into a clearing where a beast stood in wait. It was the size of an SUV and could easily stomp us to the ground. “Wait here.” Carter said.  
I watched as he flanked the beast. He charged it and was almost immediately slung backwards. The beast convulged onto him and he screamed, “John!” A shot of pure adrenaline rushed through me as I sprinted towards him. I leaped in front of him and tackled the creature. It was then I realized at some point I had transformed into a hellhound the size of the beast. I snarled and raked my claws along the beast flank, who howled in protest. It snarled and tried to throw me off, but I locked him in place and slide my claws across him, cutting his throat. I jumped off and transformed back, swords drawn at my side. My body still coursing with rage and the energy from the hellhound form I had taken. Carter looked at me bewildered as I approached the dying beast. I stabbed my swords into his already ruined flank, and the swords absorbed its essence, leaving a blue flag where it had been dying. Part of the Ares cabin walked out and stared at me, looking at the blood that was unmistakably caked around the sides of my mouth. I tossed Allison the flag, “Go, win the game.” She paused but the turned and sprinted towards the river. The flag changed from blue to red as she crossed the border and everyone cheered. She looked at me, despite everything that just happened and her eyes were gleaming.  
As the rewards were being handed out and I sat in my cabin, Carter decided to become a temporary member in my cabin. “What was that out there? You can transform into hellhounds?” I held out my hand and dark energy swirled around my fingers. “One of my powers is that my body is flowing, almost genetically modified with the stuff my father controls. A gift really, allowing me to become any creature that the energy can muster, I guess a hellhound was the default.” He shook his head and then there was banging on my door. A letter slipped underneath my door. I walked over and picked it up. I opened it to reveal a small section of words in the middle of the page. Reading:  
“Meet me in the cave in the hill,  
Carter will know the way.”  
I showed him the letter and he steadily got to his feet, sighing, “I guess one would have to have been assigned at some point.” “One what?” I asked.   
He stared me dead in the eyes and said, “A quest.”


	5. The Oracle

After traveling half a mile to the cave in which the letter spoke of, I saw two torches blazing on either side of an opening, covered simply by a purple curtain. I pushed the curtain aside revealing an older woman, with very red hair that was streaked with gray. She was covered in freckles and despite her age, she seemed very energetic and had a youthful soul. She was surrounded by paintings. Some were of famous people, some of battle scenes, and some that were just random faces and activities. Among those painting, one of those faces was mine. It was the day of my mother’s funeral. My horrible step father had my hair buzzed and I was in a suit. She turned to me with the startling green eyes and said, “Glad you could finally join us. I have been expecting you for quite some time.”

“What do you mean? How did you get that picture of me?”

“How does anyone do anything? How do people become inspired? They see things, whether it’s in their dreams or during the day, the images will always appear.”

I stared at her quizzically, “You’re not human are you?”

She laughed a genuine laugh. “I can assure I am very human. The spirit that in inhabiting is another story. She calling out to you.”

“What do you mean calling out to me?”

“She has a----- oh no.” She stopped abruptly. The room filled with green gas and her eyes seemed to glow like neon lights. In a slurring, almost snake like voice she spoke. “ _I am the spirit of Delphi, Speaker of Prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty python. Approach, Seeker, and ask.”_

I took a deep breath. This is what Percy had meant. “What is my destiny?”

She spoke as if she had five voices.

_“You shall travel to the land of greed,_

_The ones who follow you shall need._

_To find thy fathers cloak of souls._

_One of them must walk alone._

_The darkened palace must it be returned,_

_And thus a loyalty shall be earned.”_

            The woman who had inhabited the oracle slumped back and was fast asleep. Immediately after she passed out Chiron burst in. “I saw the green light,” then he saw me, “What did she tell you?” I recited the lines that had seemed to be burned into my mind. He looked puzzled. “I see. You must think on this. Get some rest, tomorrow morning we shall have a meeting to discuss your quest.”

            Carter and I went back to the cabin and that night I had a dream that I would never forget. I was in the throne room of my father. Three ghastly hags stood in front of him. “Where ever it is I want it found. Do you understand me?”

            The middle one replied quickly. “Yes, lord. We will be searching right away. With whatever mean we have available.”

“Good because if you fail me, one of you will be sent to the depths of Tartarus until I feel the need to be generous.”

            They all flew off and Hades mumbled on his throne. Something was off but I couldn’t tell what it was. They took my cloak, of all things. All of those souls….if they were to be freed…. No one would be able to stop all of them.”

            I awoke to the sound of horn again. Carter was already awake and moving. After a quick breakfast at the hall, all of the leaders of the cabins met in the big house. We all surrounded an old ping pong table that had a paddle and a ball on either side. Chiron walked in and addressed all of us. “Last night, the oracle assigned a quest. Leading on from this quest we have also heard news that-“ I interrupted, “Hades cloak has been stolen.” Chiron nodded.  “Which leaves you and two other campers to find and retrieve it before he turns to the other Olympians for help.”

            The head of the Nemesis cabin spoke up. “Why doesn’t he just contact Olympus? All feud were settled and it would mean a full search for it.”

“Which is just what whomever stole it would want. The Olympians will start accusing each other and we would be left with another war on our hands. Therefore it is up to Jonathan to retrieve it.” They all turned to me. “So Jonathan,” Chiron said. “Who will accompany you on your quest?” Even before he asked that I knew exactly who I wanted on my quest. I answered him and everyone looked at me with wide eyes. “I will take Carter Underwood and Allison Conjure.”

            The people standing around the table looked down and Allison started playing with her knife again. “As you wish,” Chiron spoke up breaking the silence. “We will have your stuff brought here and ready for travel. You may talk with your companions before we send you away.” They all left in quite a hurry. Carter, Allison, and I stood around very awkwardly. She was still playing with her knife, and I had starting turning Nico’s skull ring around my finger. Carter looked at us and popped a ping pong ball in his mouth. “Are you sure about this quest John?”

“I’m not sure of anything. But, I do know that if I am forced to go out on a quest, I want people I can trust. And that just happens to be two of the only people I know at this camp.” Allison flipped her knife and slid it back into its sheath. “I appreciate the thought. But, I don’t know if I’m the best option for this.” I turned to Carter and understood my silent message. He walked out of the room. “Look,” I said walking around the room. “I don’t know what’s going in your life, I don’t know what you’ve been through. But, I need someone with experience on this quest.” She looked up at me. I didn’t just look into her eyes. It was as if I was reaching into her soul. I saw visions not from my life, but from her. I saw her being beat as a child by her mother and then her father coming in. Her mother didn’t see him, but he gave her a knife, with fire blazing in his eyes. “ _You must choose your path. Regardless of what you do, in one weeks’ time, someone will be here to rescue you.”_

I dropped to my knees, with a searing pain behind my eyes. I opened them to find Allison kneeling in front of me. Did she kill her mother? She seemed secluded from everyone else but she didn’t seem like one to kill her mother in cold blood. Then I looked at her waist, the knife strapped to her side was the same one her father had given her. There was no noticeable staining, but there shouldn’t have been anyway. The knife was made of celestial bronze, meaning that she may have tried to kill her mother but she couldn’t. Because, celestial bronze only affect half-bloods and the other gods and goddess’s. “Are you okay?” She asked me. Her eyes were full of concern. I got up and placed my hand on your shoulder. “Yeah, but there is something I need to tell you.” Just when I was about to talk to her, Chiron and Carter walked in with their arms full of bags. Carter looked at my hand on her shoulder and raised an eyebrow. I slid my hand off and brushed off my jacket. They handed us our bags, which contained rations of ambrosia and nectar, the stuff had fed me while I was unconscious, and a few sets of clothes, a pouch of golden drachmas for each of us, and a bag full of mortal money.  “These will get you to where you need to go, I suggest you hurry. Your father is not a very patient man. Argus!” A man covered with eyes stepped out into the open. “Will take you to Central Park. That is as far as we are allowed to take you.” I glanced at Argus and he nodded. We all left into the camps strawberry van and made our way towards Central Park. “Where are we heading?” Carter asked with his mouth full of aluminum from a tin can. “Didn’t you hear the Oracle?” I replied. “We go to the land of greed.” I was sure I was grinning ear to ear. “Vegas, baby.”


	6. The Past

Argus sped off as soon as we stepped onto the concrete. “He doesn’t like being away from camp.” Allison explained. “He tends to draw a lot of attention.” I gazed around amazed by the scenery. I had never visited New York before. In fact, I was surprised that I had traveled to New York since I ran away from home in Virginia. I gazed up at the Empire State Building.  “Wow, I’ve always wanted to visit this place.” I said aloud. Allison looked over at the building, Grover trailing behind us. “It’s not so great.” She said. “Though the top has its perks.”

“You mean the roof?” I asked.

“No, Mt. Olympus itself resides above the building.”

I stared at her in disbelief. “You’ve got to be kidding.” We sat down at a bus stop bench waiting for the next one to arrive so we could go to train station.

“What you’ve learned in school about the Western Civilization, the gods have adopted it. They originated in Greece. As they transferred to different places they begun changing. Their names, their appearance. Here, Mt. Olympus was originated at the tallest building. Empire State Building. The entrance to the Underworld being in Hollywood, California.”

“Seems easy enough. Right next door to where we need to find the cloak.”

            The bus arrived and we boarded. Something was off. I smelled death, almost like the smell I received from Ms. O’Leary. “Carter,” I asked as we sat down in our seat. “Do you… smell anything?” He raised his nose and started sniffing. “Wait a minute, I know this smell. It’s-.” He was cut off by a crash at the front of the bus. Man, my life was getting more and more like this Jackson guy by the minute. I saw three woman walking down the aisle and took a seat behind me. One of the woman dropped her bags as she entered the bus causing the crash. I felt bad for her but I knew that her and her friends were up to something. “Well, well Jonathan Slade. We meet at last.” I turned around. It was the woman in the middle who had spoken.

I’m sorry. Do I know you?”

“No, child but we know you. In fact, we work very closely with your father.”

A shiver ran down my spine at the mention of my father. I pointed my finger in her face. A small plume of dark energy arose from the tip of my finger. “Listen to me, if you work for my father than you know what I am doing. So either help or get out of my way.”

She gave me a crooked grin. She and her friends disappeared into a shadow leaving an item in the seat where she was seating. I cautiously picked it up. Among which was a folded cloth. I picked it up and saw a piece of fabric as black as night itself. With flashes of faces etching into its being.

            I turned back into my seat the correct way, they regarded me as if no time had passed. Staring at my hands as if it had just appeared in a flash. “What is that?” Carter whimpered. “It’s a piece of Hades cloak, itself.” Carter seemed absolutely terrified and Allison and I regarded it with extreme interest. “Those three woman gave me this in order for me to find his cloak. I should be able to sense his cloak and with this I have something to use to track it. It should be able to be drawn to the rest of its fabric.” I gripped the fabric in one hand and coursed dark energy through it. I opened my other hand and a building appeared in a shaded image. A large casino, looking like one of the oldest in the area. Carter’s eyes widened. “That cannot be it!” He screamed. I close my fist and released the fabric. His eyes were wide and split pupiled. “My father spoke of this place in great detail. He went there with Percy Jackson and his wife Annabeth.” “Carter,” I said. “Get to the point.”

            “That’s the Lotus Hotel and Casino. A place locked in time.”


	7. The Bus

Allison looked at him with a new look in her eyes. “You’re telling me that the one place that Hades cloak was taken to, is one of the fabled places from past quest.” He nodded. She threw her hands up in exasperation. “So,” I began to break the silence. “This place speeds up time once we enter it?” The both hung their heads low and slowly nodded. “Then I guess we should find a new means of transportation.”

            We got off at the next stop and Carter ran straight to a fountain and covered a piece of the mouth. He pressed the button and the water sprayed out a mist. He tossed a golden drachma and said an oath, “O’ Iris, goddess of the rainbow. Accept my offering.” The rainbow started shimmering. “Grover Underwood at Camp Half-Blood.” The mist became an image and showed I like picture, almost like a skype call, of a satyr with large horns sitting with a beautiful nymph. “Dad!” Carter yelled. Grover looked up and gazed at the image. “Hey, Carter. How is your guest going?”

“It was going fine. Until we realized our destination.”

“And, what would that be?”

I spoke up and stepped into view. “The Lotus Hotel and Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada.”

His eyes widened and the nymph disappeared in a plume of green smoke. “Listen to me carefully. Jonathan, that place twist your mind. Almost forces you to stay. Word to the wise. Don’t eat the flowers they will be greedily passing out. In fact, if it wasn’t for Percy I would be still be stuck there myself.”

Percy Jackson must have been involved with everything at this camp. “Understood sir. We must move on if we are to finish this quest. Would you mind notifying Chiron of our location?”

He waved his hand, “Not at all, but be weary. Everything is not always as it seems.” He snapped his fingers and his image disappeared. “Thanks, I guess.” Carter said. I looked around. No one had seen us make the call. But I noticed a dark figure enter into a shop down the road. “Guy, follow me. I may have an idea of how we can get to Las Vegas faster than taking a car the entire way.” I ran to the shop and opened the door. We burst through the door to see Nico standing in the midst of the room. “Glad you could join me. I take it you know the location of dads cloak.”

            I looked at him. “I may know the location. But, this is my quest. I just need to know a bit of the powers that we share.”

“And, which one would that be?”

“Shadow Traveling.”

He laughed a full hearted laugh. “Look, it took me months to master it, and another year to learn how to be able to transport other people along with me. But I guess I can spare a few minutes.” He had Allison and Carter run out to the coffee shop. He closed the door behind him. And walked in front of me like he was giving a lecture. “This trick to shadow traveling is knowing the location you wish to go. Regardless of whether or not you have been there before. Imagine you being transferred, instantaneously through the shadow you are going towards. And then, disappear. It drains a lot of energy. The further you go the more energy it will take.”  He disappeared and reappeared behind me. “It’s simple enough, but takes a long time to master it. If I were you I would get a running start.” I looked at the nearest wall. I looked around again and saw more shadows above his head. I had where I wanted to go, and where I had to start. I ran towards a wall and fell into the shadow. I felt a long cold chill down my spine and it felt like my face was about to peel off. Then, light appeared as I appeared above Nico tackling him. He laughed as we both got up. “I guess I was wrong. Maybe due to the dark energy coursing through your body it allows your powers to come more naturally to you. Mainly those including a more dark influence.”

“Dark influence?”

“The kind of powers that dad used to use to defend himself or to attack/ corrupt others. The kind of powers that he practically became an outcast for. He spied on the other gods and even demigods. During the old days he figured out some stuff he shouldn’t have and that really set in his exile. Now, I believe that you need to leave.” He shimmered and disappeared, and right when I was thinking of following him, Allison and Carter walked in with a tray of coffee and a bag full of scones. “Did you find out what you needed?” Allison asked.

            I grabbed their arms, “Guess it’s time for a test run.” Carter looked confused but Allison understood and started to argue with me. I ran them into a wall and focused on going to Las Vegas. As soon as we touched the earth I immediately collapsed and passed out. I woke up in a hotel. I immediately jumped up and Allison was sitting at my bedside. I laughed. “Here we go, again.” She grabbed my hand and laughed. “Hey, glad to see you’re okay.” I shyly grabbed my hand back and swung my legs off the bed. “Where are we?” I asked.

“We’re in Littleton, Colorado. A hotel. You’ve only been out for a couple hours.”

I was a little upset. “Dang, I was aiming for Las Vegas. Guess I need more practice. Wait, where is Carter?”

“He’s out getting supplies. We figured that you wouldn’t be able to travel again so we need to finish the journey either by car, or plane.”

“Car!” I said immediately. If I had learned one thing at camp it was that the other gods don’t tend very well to other children entering their domain. Like say a son of Poseidon or Hades deciding to take a plan on a few hour flight.

            “So, what is it that you wanted to tell me?” She asked. I remembered us being in the big house.

I folded my hands together. “I know why you came to camp.”

She looked just as nervous as I had felt. “What do you mean?”

“I know about your mom.”

She had a faraway gaze in her eyes.  “How?”

“When we were in the big house, and I looked into your eyes, I saw your mother walk out of the room and your father appear, where he handed you the very same knife that you keep strapped on your waist.”

She fingered the beads on her necklace. She had a total of three on it. “That was a long time ago. A time that I have come to regret.”

“I understand, not that I know the path you took but my step father did the same things to me. He blamed me for everything. It got worse once my mother died. That’s why I ran off. But whatever you chose, that decision will alter your life.”

She stared at me. “It taught me patience. A week after a satyr appeared with a restraining order and my mother was happy to be rid of me. Camp is my home now.”

I awkwardly grabbed her hand. “We both have our demons. Some more than others. But that doesn’t change who we were meant to be.” Carter walked in and saw us holding hands. He had bags of non-perishable food items, water and powerade, rope, and three grey hound tickets. We released each other’s hands and started packing our bags. I took a peek at the ticket. “We leave in an hour. We should get moving.” We waited at the station and I talked to Carter. “Are most quest this easy?” I asked him. “No, normally there are monster attacks. Other gods intervening, and mainly the inability to travel efficiently.” At that moment a crash came from behind us. A few dracnae, snake women with two tails for legs, slithered through. “Allison!” She turned and drew her knife. I thought of my swords and they sprung to live in my hands. We charged the dracnae and they tried to circle around and corner us. They hissed at us as they drew their swords and javelins.

Allison dodged a sword slash and stabbed one of the dracnae in the abdomen. One dracnae tried slashing at me to find one of my swords parrying the blade while the other cut off her arm and then her head. The last of the dracnae was heading for Carter. He was unarmed and cowering in a corner. I pulled out one of the celestial bronze throwing knifes I had collected from the camp armory that was strapped on the back of my waist and threw it at her. The blade flew with deadly precision and pierced the small of her back. She exploded as the other did, it a burst of powder. I walked over and picked up the blade. I handed it to Carter, hilt facing him. “You need a weapon.” He took the blade a slide it into his pocket. I replaced the throwing knife with a spare from my bag. By the time I had done that our bus had pulled in and we boarded covered in powder, looking like we had just had a bad run in with Tinker Bell. Feeling safe I decided to take a nap to shorter the journey. Bad move.

I dreamt I was in my father’s throne room. He was sitting on his throne looking ashamed. “Taken from under my nose. How stupid do I have to be?!” The purple flames around his throne grew with his anger. It was only a matter of time before he would reach out to the other gods. At that moment the furies flew in. “What new do you have?”

“Your son is in route to the cloak. You were right. He is going to be one of the most powerful half-bloods since Percy Jackson.”

“It will still mean nothing if he doesn’t get to the cloak in time. If those souls are released, I’m not even sure I could capture them all.” Then I awoke to the sound of screeching tires.


	8. The "Generous" God

I opened my eyes and see a road block full of police men and construction workers. “What’s going on?” I asked Allison. She pointed at the block in front of us. “Apparently the bridge was damaged during a storm restricting anything but equipment across it.”

“Then we need to find another way across.” I saw a man sitting on the docks. Leaning against his boat. “Come on.” I told them. We hopped off the bus and made our way down to the boat. “Uh, hey John. What are you doing?” Carter asked me. I looked down at my hands. For some reason they had begun swirling with a purple aura. “Sorry, guess its nervous energy.” I shook my hand and it disappeared. When we approached the man he didn’t even look up. “Excuse me, sir.” Carter asked. “We were wondering if...” The old man looked up, eyes swirling, causing Carter to falter. “I don’t associate with your kind.” Allison tried speaking only to be cut off by him again. “Nor to I associate with female demigods.” “Who are you?” I demanded. He took off his old tattered hat and said, “I am Nereus, the old man of the sea.”

He led us to an old Mexican restaurant named, Del Taco, where he sat and talked with me, completely disregarding Allison and Carter. “So, I take it you need a ride. Being a son of Hades I’m not quite sure how well it would work for you. Fortunately for you, I should be able to take you across the grand Colorado River just fine.” He said with a mouthful of mystery meat from a questionable looking burrito.

“What’s the catch?” I asked.

He shrugged and finished his meal with the rest of his soda. “Who says there’s a catch? Maybe I feel like committing a good act.”

“And, you just so happen to be a god that had people capture him in order to answer only one question.”

He laughed a full hearted laugh. “True enough, Mr. Slade. I do indeed want something. Something only you and your companions can bring me. What do you know of the Chalice of Hygeia?”

I almost didn’t recognize the name. It was from way back when I actually went to school and we had learned Greek Mythology. “If I remember correctly, she was a daughter of Aesculapius”

“Indeed,” He nods. “As you may or may not know, her symbol is a cup or as some people call it a chalice. There is a gift shop about a mile down the road from here. There is a stand full of chalices.  Only one of them has her blessing on it. I need you to bring it to me. And a small warning, other than casting a pearly radiance, there will be a snake that connects your hand to the chalice.”

I looked at Allison and Carter. “We accept.”

“Good, now be gone. Come back when you find me a chalice.”

We walked down the road and found an antique store with an entire stand full of chalices just a Nereus had said. I immediately walk to the stand and start picking up chalices. After grazing all of them none of them had any reactions. Then we saw one of them at the front of the desk, standing with some of the other expensive items. “Excuse me,” I approached the desk. “I was wondering how much that chalice would cost.” A bright energetic face popped up. Eyes were stunning blue and hair as white as a cloud. “Hi,” She said. “My name is Fleecy. How can I help you?”

“Yes, I was wondering about this chalice up here.” I said gesturing at the chalice.

“Oh, I’m sorry dear. This one isn’t for sale. It was put out of commission by my boss.”

“Who is your boss?”

A younger woman appeared, walking through a wall of beads. “I am. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Iris, goddess of the rainbow.”


	9. The Chalice

 

We introduced ourselves rather quickly, and told her what we needed. She smiled at us. “I really am sorry but it isn’t for sale. All of the demigods who have tried to buy it have left us with nothing but complaints.”

“But we know what the Chalice does once it is touched by a demigod. That it cast a pearly radiance and that the snake connects your hand to the cup.” Carter said.

“Then you know that the Chalice will also enter your mind. It turns you into what you fear the most. A small safeguard, placed on by Hygeia herself. If you can survive facing that fear, you can take the Chalice with you.” She said, staring at each of us pointedly. I could see Carter, his eyes went split- pupiled, and he was shivering. Allison was staring down at her feet, not even daring to make contact with anyone. “Let’s do this.” I grabbed the cup and the snake immediately intertwined around my fingers. “NO!” Allison and Carter screamed. I stared at the mirror, ready to face whatever creature appeared. Allison and Carter steadily backed away from me, the air around me, even my skin started shimmering in the same radiance as the Chalice. As they light dimmed, I saw myself standing in the mirror. Everyone around me looked confused except for Isis. “Bravo, Jonathan Slade. You may take the Chalice. And here,” She handed Allison a multicolored handbag. “I have Fleecy throw together some rations and clothes for your journey. If you survive this journey. Be sure to come back and visit.” She waved her hand and we were standing outside of the shops entrance. I tossed the Chalice from hand to hand. “Come on, let’s go back to Nereus.”

We approached the bridge, on which the builders had made little to no progress. Nereus was still standing on the pier, leaning against his boat. I tossed him the Chalice. “Three tickets across the Colorado River. One way please.” He caught it and studied it. He smirks, and drew down the gangplank. We all climbed aboard. I stood at the stern and looked around as the boat pulled away from the dock. Allison walked over and leaned on the rail next to me. “How did you do it?”

            I glanced over at her. “Do what?”

“The Chalice. How were you able to stand against whatever you saw? From the way Isis talked, everyone who had taken hold of that cup had lost their mind.”

“It’s because I didn’t see a monster”

She looked puzzled. “Then what did you see?”

I stared out to the other side of the river. “I saw myself, just as I am now.”

“What does that mean?” She placed her hand on my arm. In spite of what I’ve seen her do at camp and her father being the god of war, she was being very gentle.

I held up my hand, the dark energy swirling around my fingers. “I’m afraid of what I’ve become. Of what I am becoming, and what will happen to me in the future. Nothing like this has ever happened to a child of Hades before, and I know it scares everyone just as much as it does me. But, that’s just what I’ve been able to interpret.” I threw my hand down and the energy disappeared.

She seemed like she was going to tell me something, but her eyes told me everything. They were scared of me. They knew that a new prophecy would come to pass, and I would be the one that it would be about.


	10. The Explanation

It took us about twenty minutes to cross over the river and we quickly left the boat. The instant we stepped off, the boat disappeared. I looked over at Carter. “Where to now?” I asked him. He sniffed the air. “We need to make it to Las Vegas. You are in no shape to shadow travel. Nico used to shadow travel a lot, but it wasn’t really healthy for him.”

            “How so?” I asked

            “His body started to almost merge with the shadows. His DNA was starting to become fluid with the dark matter flowing through your veins. We don’t want to take the risk of you, trapping us in a shadow.”

             I smiled. “Another bus it is then.”

            Public transit was starting to annoy me. The constant waiting, the numerous stops, and the only way to get out of it was to sleep. But even sleep is dangerous for demigods. We have dreams, visuals of the present, past, and future. Sometimes they mean nothing, but other times, they give us nightmares, things we never wanted to see. But that wasn’t what worried me. As I slowly drifted off I saw nothing, I felt nothing, it was a dreamless sleep and it wasn’t going to be the last.

I woke up obviously dazed and confused. I saw as we passed a sign that we had entered Nevada. Allison was leaned against my side, head back on the seat, and Carter was wide awake, nibbling on a tin can he had concealed in his bag. “You alright, man?” He jumped slightly, clearly startled. “We’re almost there.”

“The Casino?”

He nodded. “I don’t know what we should be expecting. The place plays tricks on your mind. Making us never want to leave. My father said he would still be there if it wasn’t for Percy and his wife.”

I rubbed my thumbs together through my clasped hands. This guy Percy had literally been involved with everything at this camp. Where was my brother in all of this? Would I be as involved as Percy was in all of these missions? I cleared my throat. “So what happens once we reach the Casino?”

He shrugged. “You’re the one with the weird underworld mojo. You should be able to sense it once we step into it. Unless it automatically clouds your judgement and traps us inside.”

“Optimistic aren’t you?”

He let out a bleated laugh. “Doubtful. I’m terrified. I’ve heard of the god’s rath and I would rather not see or have to deal with that in my lifetime.”

“Even though that time would be well over a hundred years?”

He smiled. “My point exactly.”

Allison started stirring in her sleep. “Why does everyone have to go through this?” I asked Carter.

“Go through what?”

“Life.” I said blatantly. “Some huge tragedy or trial that has brought us either to the help of a satyr or even finding our own way to camp. Why can’t people like us just have a normal life? Having fun at camp, living with our families, and even not dealing with these quest.”

He stared at me. “You sound just like Percy.”

“What?”

“He had the same thoughts as you did. Especially when it was his friends that were caught in the cross fire. He eventually came to a very strong realization that set his mind straight.”

“And what in Hades would that be?”

“That not everyone in the world can do what you do. There will be someone that comes along to eventually take up where they left of so they can finally have a normal life. Until you came along, Percy and your brother had been keeping an eye on the camp. Watching over us with Chiron. Then you came along. Another child of the Big Three. They knew how powerful you were and that you would have your own destiny to fill. They can now have the normal life you wish that everyone would have. As can most of the other demigods at camp. But the ones that have power and authority, whether it be as head counselor or having actual powers, are the ones that keep everything in line.”

I gazed out the window. He was right. My brother and his friends had done enough. It was my turn to make a difference in the world. And hopefully this time it would be permanent.


	11. The Thief in the Casino

I gazed upon a city blazing with lights. I gently woke Allison with as the bus had stopped a few blocks away from the actual casino. I shouldered my bag and walked onto the sidewalk, taking a seat on one of the benches as I waited for them to get there stuff. I couldn’t help but think about the prophecy. _“One of them must walk alone.”_  Which one would it be? According to the way it was worded, it would have to be either Allison or Carter. But what if it meant me? I’ve survived years on my own in the wilderness, but would I survive if I was left alone here? They snapped me out of thoughts when they plopped down on the bench on either side of me. “Come on.” Allison said. “We should hurry and get this done. We shouldn’t keep your father waiting any longer. According to Chiron’s calculations we have about 24 hours until he begins asking the other gods for help. I slowly got to my feet. Carter was looking at me up and down. Something told me he knew what I was feeling and exactly what was on my mind. “Yeah.” I finally said. The sooner we get back to camp the better.

We didn’t have to look too hard for the Casino. There were signs covering the roads, the building, and even a majority of the stores. We stepped into the building cautiously. I was expecting an immediate reaction. But, no such luck. Instead a man walked up to us. “Welcome to the Lotus Hotel and Casino. Here are your complementary cards good for anything in the hotel. Please enjoy your stay.” He handed us each a golden card and walked off, eager to greet the next customers. “Did that just-?” I started. They both just nodded.

We started walking around the casino trying to lock in on the cloaks location. I clenched the piece that I was given in my fist and started trying to sense for it. It was getting harder and harder to concentrate and keep Allison and Carter on task. They kept trying to drift off to some of the attractions that were beginning to surround us. Even I was ready to drop everything and go have fun. We finally came to a standstill in front of an attraction. All of the energy of the cloak seemed to be radiating from there. We took a step in and Carter and I were immediately thrown backwards. We sat up, unsure of what had happened. I looked up at Allison. It was her. She was standing in the doorway of the attraction. “Go, get the cloak.” I managed to croak out as I tried to rise. She ran inside and I grabbed Carters’ arm and hoisted him up. “Come on, if we can’t enter, maybe we can watch from the outside. We crept over the door way. I glanced inside and Allison was talking with some man. She had an object draped over his shoulder, glimmering in a purple-blackish hue. The cloak. Her hand was subtly resting against the hilt of her dagger. Then all Hades broke loose.

I saw her lunge at her and she drew her knife, almost quicker than the eye could register. She snatched the cloak as she grazed her size with the blade. I looked at the pool of blood that was starting to form underneath the woman. It was the blood of the immortals, _golden ichor_. She ran into us, and I snatched the cloak from her. Her hand looked like it had a huge bruise on it. It slowly started to fade. I slip the cloak on, feeling its power. All of the rage of the souls trapped inside was enormous. Just using the power from one of them would be enough to level and entire building. There were thousands upon thousands of souls trapped in it. I gritted my teeth as I took their hands. “Hold on!” Allison must have known what I was planning on doing. She barely had time to scream “No!” Before we plunged into darkness and appeared in the middle of an office floor, surrounded by spirits. We rose up slowly and a man wearing an Italian suit checked his watch. “You’re late.” I dropped the hood of the cloak down. “It doesn’t matter what I am as long as you get me to my father.” He laughed at me.

“I guess you’re right. Although you may want to hurry.” He said as he unlocked a door leading to a stairwell that only went down. “He prepared to contact Zeus.”


	12. The Father Figure

We sprinted down the stair and the man drove us across the water. I looked over at Carter and Allison, they looked normal but the man was all bone. We jumped off as we reached the dock. I ran straight up to my fathers’ three headed dog, Cerberus, and calmed him down so they could pass through. We kept running all the way to his palace, where we found an ensemble of skeletal guards wielding M16’s and bayonets. I walked right past them and up to my father, who was sitting on his throne, flicking a golden drachma into the air. “Father, Lord Hades.” I dropped down to one knee in front of his throne. “I bring you that which was wrongfully stolen from you. I pray that this means that you will sustain your wrath until another, more deserving day.” I took off the cloak and held it out. The cloak floated and grew in size as it got closer to him. He looked down upon me. “You have done well. It pleases me to finally have this back in my possession. But, do you know who stole it?”

“We believe,” I began. “It was one of the goddesses.” The fires rose. I had to make my point quickly before we had another civil war on our hands. “We do not, however, believe it was any of the major gods. The person that had stolen the cloak was grazed when Allison grabbed the cloak and she bled _ichor._ I’m not sure if she saw anything, but the cloak had no effect on him. When she touched it, she was beginning to become corrupted by it. Which leads me to believe that it was someone from our line that had stolen it.” The fires burned down and I felt a majority of his rage subside. “Hmm.” He seemed to ponder. “One of my own. I think I may know who.” He looked down at me. “Be cautious my boy. You have may have gotten my cloak back, but in doing so I believe that you could have angered some of your sisters.” I looked at him confused. That was when I felt the world begin to turn and Allison, Carter, and I fell directly into the middle of the volleyball court.


	13. The End

After retelling our story for the hundredth time, we finally were given laurels and shrouds to burn at the camp fire. Carters was made in about three seconds by all of the woodland nymphs. It was still the size of the body, but it was made from intertwining leaves, branches, and vines. Allison’s was created by her cabin. A blood red shroud with a golden dagger, stuck into the top of a boars head. The Hermes cabin volunteered to make mine. It was a big black shroud covered in a purple, transparent cloth. Carter and Allison’s burned perfectly fine, but when they threw mine on, a giant ball of smoke and a sour smell filled the air. Everyone started yelling at them and threw their uneaten s’mores at them. They were all laughing as the entire cabin retreated to the safety of the cabin.

            But the best part of that night, as the smoke was clearing, I noticed Allison, who was sitting next to me, had taken my hand. And after she did that, she quickly leaned over and kissed me. The smoke cleared and the fire had shone its normal light. I had a small grin on my face and I squeezed her hand. Maybe this place wouldn’t be so bad after all.


End file.
